6.23.17
6.21.17 - I stumbled upon a group of sheep while out for a short hike in the Valley of Fire. They seemed entirely apathetic to my presence and thoroughly oblivious to the 119º heat. It's easy to see how they differ physically from their cousins in the Rocky Mountains, seen here and here, due to the climate and landscape in which they each reside. I was really entranced by this ram's beautiful horns.
6.19.17 - For over twenty miles I could see these bizarre silhouettes as I took Indian Route 59 toward Kayenta into the setting sun. They struck me as fantastical or mythical structures, like something one might see in Lord of the Rings. When I finally looked at a map, I realized these were some of the less-recognizable buttes of Monument Valley. I didn't realize I was so close, as I had never approached Monument Valley from the south before.
6.18.17 - I just had time to glance through a few photos from last night. I'll do a much more robust post later, but for now let me get at least one photo up from the Bisti Badlands in the De-Na-Zin Wilderness. It truly felt like being on a different planet.
6.17.17 - It was tough crawling out of my sleeping bag at 4:45 this morning in the crisp 38° air, but the mountain sunrise did not disappoint. This is just one quick edit from a plethora of photos to come later; the Gunnison National Forest around Crested Butte is simply amazing.
6.13.17 - I watched the sun slowly recede across the prairie until it disappeared below the horizon. This dead piñon tree nicely framed the sunset against these towering dunes at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Believe it or not, the dunes themselves are pretty massive, some at over 700 feet tall.
6.12.17 - I've got a couple quick moments in Boulder to back up photos and to do a little bit of light editing. A lot of the better images I'm so excited about, I'm actually slightly terrified of editing on my laptop on the road, so those will have to wait until I'm home.I was lucky enough to stumble upon a secluded town of prairie dogs in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. They were so inquisitive the entire hour I spent photographing them. These guys are even cuter in person than they are in the nature documentaries and on TV!
6.5.17 - I watched the sunset over the reservoir in Earlysville. When the light faded, I shot an 80 second exposure to smooth the water below the bridge, although the highlights where car headlights hit the water still retain some detail and choppiness.
5.29.17 - Beaver Creek Reservoir was totally socked in with heavy fog this morning, but I watched two kayakers paddle away into the distance. Right before they went around the bend, a gap opened up in the fog and let in a thick beam of light, illuminating the opposite bank with a golden glow.